


Somebody shine a light

by Shatteeran



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Magic, Bodyguard Liam, Childhood Friends, First AU fic, Friends to Lovers, Hate to Love, Hurt/Comfort, I Blame Tumblr, M/M, Mage Niall, Magic-Users, Magical Bond, Romance, Still sort of, also sort of, i don't know how to tag, sort of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-29
Updated: 2016-09-08
Packaged: 2018-04-11 19:03:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4448093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shatteeran/pseuds/Shatteeran
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"How was your afternoon, Ni'?", Maura asked with a shaky voice and a faltering smile.<br/>"I hate him. I hate him! I HATE him! He's mean and conceited and condescending and a stuck up arsehole!"<br/>"Niall, we need to talk", Bobby soothed. His mother stiffled a sob. "Liam... Liam, he's your Shadow."<br/>"He will protect you...", she added as she leaned away from the kitchen counter.</p><p>Their only son's eyes widened. He nervously glanced at Liam, who stood near the doorframe, unmoving. The boy swiftly nodded.<br/>"Wherever you go, I'll follow you."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Niall

**Author's Note:**

  * For [niamcuddles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/niamcuddles/gifts).



> So, new story. First Niam. First magical AU.  
> But I really wanted a Niam epic story this time. And set in a magical universe. Because a shy Niall and a protective Liam are just too cute together to not happen.
> 
> Not sure when I'll update exactly, but expect shorter chapters than for Don't Ever Run Away.  
> The storyline should be a bit more complex, but the writing a little more simple... maybe?
> 
> In any case, let me know what you think. I am really excited about this!
> 
> Gifted to niamcuddles for obvious reasons.  
> (Where are you? We need more like you)

Maura was crying in Bobby's arms when Niall stepped into the kitchen. He gently shushed her, silently asking her to pull herself back together.

"Ni's here", he whispered.  
"'Ma? 'Da? You called? What's going on?"

Their son's voice came out unsure, shy in a way he never was in their house. All three Horans picked up on it; and they didn't like it one bit. Niall passed a sweaty hand in his blonde hair.

"Is it because of my fever? I'm fine. I feel better already, I swear."

More tears flew out of his mother's eyes. She managed to avoid making any sound. The kid's heart tugged at his chest uncomfortably.

""Ma..."  
"Enough of this nonsense, Maura.", Bobby interrupted. "Our Nialler is a big boy. That's just part of growing up. You should take joy in his upcoming birthday and not..."  
"Is it because I'm turning thirteen next week?", Niall asked in an incredulous laugh.

His mother spoke up for the first time since he entered the room. He expected her to stutter, but her words were light, soft and steady.

"Listen to me, Niall. There is someone we would like to introduce you to."  
  
Niall shrugged as he threw his gaze around, his own way of telling his parents they were the only people here. Maura smiled kindly as her son fell back into his usual carelessness.

"He is actually in the living-room.", she explained patiently as she led him out of the kitchen, her hand pressed on his back betraying her slight trembling.  
  
The sound of their shuffling feet on the carpet must have announced their coming, because whoever was waiting for them turned from the window when Niall passed the threshold. It was a teenager, and Niall guessed they were about the same age. He couldn't be certain, because the lad in front of him sent very confusing signals. He wore his dirty blonde curly hair untamed and the almond shape of his eyes granted him a look of innocence. Black skin-tight jeans and red converse also gave away his youth... Yet a fitted white shirt and a sleeveless black coat completed his outfit; his rigid posture and solemn stare also contributed to age him greatly.

"Hi", Niall tried amiably.  
"Good afternoon", the other replied without a smile and he marched towards the blonde, presenting his hand to shake. Niall blinked. "I'm Liam. Liam Payne", he continued as he plunged his hand in his trousers pocket. "Quite an exciting time for you, if you allow me to say! How about we take a walk outside?".

Niall froze. Here he stood, with both his parents right behind his shoulders, and he was pretty sure he was being propositioned by that Liam-guy! Were they selling him to be wed or summat?

"Sounds like an excellent idea, kids. The weather is kind, today. It is a perfect afternoon to spend outdoors.", Maura intervened. "Niall, go grab your snapback. You know that with your fair skin and all..."

She trailed off while Niall climbed up the stairs to do as told, way too stunned to even get angry at her mothering him. He made sure to send her an annoyed look when he came back downstairs for good measure, though. And he couldn't care less if Payne noticed.

"Son", his father reprimands with his warning tone, "Liam just arrived from Wolverhampton. With his family. And he is our new neighbor. I expect you to be on your best behavior, give him a tour, show him all the cool places where you children spend your time these days. Do I make myself clear?"

As a way of answering, Niall heavily gestured towards his covered head. He nodded towards Liam, the front door and made his exit as fast as his legs allowed him to. He slammed the door shut as soon as the other boy had followed him on the street. Unfortunately, his anger quickly fade away now that he was left alone with Liam at his side. His new neighbor observed him expectantly, shuffling from one foot to the other, waiting for Niall to point the direction. The blonde was too busy hating his life to take the lead. His parents knew about his insecurities, his difficulty around strangers. And Payne just seemed so... weird. So... intense despite his boyish look.

"H-how o-old a-are y-you?", Niall muttered and he finally took his first step to avoid looking at Liam.  
"Thirteen."  
"I... I t-though s-so?"  
"OK."

Silence streched between them. A heavy, uneasy feeling settled in Niall's stomach. He could not decide how to deal with this lad. On one hand, he knew he could use friends; it was not like his natural shyness outside his house's walls had made him very popular. On the other hand... Yeah, Payne was weird. And not talkative. Niall racked his brain to come up with something to say. Some question to ask. Some random comment to share. Nothing.

"I-I"m t-taking y-you t-to the p-park", he decided, surprising himself. "If -if, that's o-okay?", he quickly amended.  
"Sure"

That's when Niall realized they were walking in the wrong direction. Of course. He supposed he could make them walk in a circle and hope Liam wouln't notice. He began planning the best streets to make a turn to in order to confuse him. But that was counting without the other curse of having a fair skin; his embarrassment was slowly, but unmistakably flushing his cheeks red.

"Wait! Wrong direction.", Liam stated, making Niall go through the same of turning back. Liking this new kid was just getting harder and harder. And Niall's ears were burning and it really wasn't a sensation he enjoyed at all.

But Niall was earnest in his endeavors as he was loyal in his friendships. He had tacitly promised to befriend Liam and so he would give it his best shot. To the best of his mumbling abilities.

"I-I'm N-Niall. Niall Ho-Horan."  
"I know."  
"Oh. It's j-just that y-you introduced you-yourself. A-and I t-thought..."  
"I see."

Niall grinded his teeth. None of them uttered a word until they reached the park entrance. Niall's focus immediately attached itself to the empty swing, and losing all inhibitions, he grabbed Liam's hand and smiled brightly.

"Let's go! Three-trial competition: fastest, highest, furthest"  
"What?", Liam wondered out loud, obviously puzzled as his accent sounded a little stronger on this simple word.  
"Fastest to the swing, highest on the swing and furthest jump!", Niall shouted, before dashing towards the finish line, his laughs echoing in his wake.

Halfway through, he realized the Wolverhampton boy was not following him. He chanced a glance behind him to find Payne standing right where he left him. In the distance, he almost appeared to be squirming uncomfortably. His figure suddenly animated itself.

"LOOK AHEAD!"

Niall yelped as his left foot collided with a rock, causing him to twist his right knee as he shifted his weight to his other leg. Sharp pain momentarily blinded him. Or maybe he just closed his eyes as he fell himself falling to the ground. He hit it with a dull sound. When he regained his sight, Liam was standing next to him, staring down with a disapproving expression on his features. It didn't suit him.

"Told you to look ahead"

The blonde's retort died on his lips when Liam extended his hand to help him up. He took it this time.

"Nice to meet you, Niall James Horan", the new kid said, all business again.

The skin on skin contact prickled on Niall's palm. More like stung. He examined his hand to discover the typical red dots scattered on it. He'd scratched his hand on the yellow gravel. He must have winced because Payne checked his own limb and shivered. Maybe blood made him dizzy, Niall guessed. And he was right, of course, but not in the way he believed, because what the other did next, Niall would have never expected. Not in a million years.

Liam wrapped Niall's wrist in his long fingers and softly, delicately, like Niall was a prey that could run away at any moment, he brought the harmed hand towards his face. He held the inquiring gaze, chocolate brown eyes matching in intensity the confusion in Niall's blue own. With a infinite slowness, Liam deposited a light kiss on Niall's palm. The blonde tore his hand away with a shriek when a fast licking sensation shook him out of his daze.

"Y-you're a-a f-freak! S-stay away from me!"

He couldn't shove the lad away with his bleeding hand. So he stormed off, well decided on going home. Or rather... he limped away as fast as he could trying and failing to regain control on his blush. Liam followed, a step behind, a sorrow expression on his face to pair with Niall's angry scowl.


	2. Liam

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delayed update.  
> Had a rough couple of weeks, but I did want this story to have a proper start so here goes nothing.  
> Going to get back to Slip Out now... (Maybe :D)

Niall slammed the door again when they got back to the house, and he stomped to the kitchen without a pause, abandoning Liam by the doorstep.

"How was your afternoon, Ni'?", Maura asked with a shaky voice and a faltering smile.  
"I hate him. I hate him! I HATE him! He's mean and conceited and condescending and a stuck up arsehole!"  
"Niall, we need to talk", Bobby soothed. His mother stifled a sob. "Liam... Liam, he's your Shadow."  
"He will protect you...", she added as she leaned away from the kitchen counter.

Liam figured this would be his moment to intervene, so he carefully joined the Horans. The room was bathed in the orange afternoon glow. It reflected on the colorful painted flowers on the wall tiles. He understood why the kitchen had become this family’s preferred place. It also held some truth about their son. From now on, nothing else would matter in the teenager’s life.

Niall’s eyes widened. He nervously glanced at Liam, who stood near the doorframe, unmoving. The boy swiftly nodded.  
"Wherever you go, I'll follow you."  
“Y-you’re all… you’re all mad”, the blonde yelled, and on cue, the reddish hue started to creep up his already pink cheeks. The Wolverhampton boy absently noticed how easy it had been to learn Niall’s many telltales. He brought his attention back to the endearing brat, suddenly aware of the glassy blue eyes and quivering lip right in front of him.   
“He’s a freak, he… he drank my b-blood”, he added, this time, closer to the whine. But he didn’t miss the knowing glance Liam shared with his parents.   
“Y-you sicko. Don’t ever engage me again.”  
Liam felt his shoulders slump. A bottomless cold pierced his body from his skull down. He stood aside, gaping, as Niall swiftly left the room and ran up the stairs. The loud BANG informed them that the Horan kid had retreated in his quarters. Liam wondered if he’d ever been taught to properly close a door. He furrowed his brows. That damn icing feeling wasn’t done crawling down his spine.

“How could you not tell him?”, he all but screamed at the Horans once he was assured they could not be overheard.   
“Son, just because my son Forbade you to talk to him does NOT mean you get to forget your place.”, Bobby growled, slamming his fist on the counter for effect.

But they all knew Liam did not wince because of the father’s demonstration of strength. He backed off because Niall’s rebuttal felt too fresh; the reminder of the unfortunate order was cruel but effective. Liam would never be able to speak to Niall first. And that would make his job considerably harder. He shrugged to try and chase the freezing thrum of his blood from his bones. It worked poorly.

“You have to understand, Liam”, Maura took over. She sat straighter at the dining table to plant soulful eyes in Liam’s demanding ones. “Bobby’s human and I’m only a minor mage myself”, she started and pivoted towards the dying flowers hung over the window. She blinked a few times, seemingly enthralled. For very long seconds, nothing happened. Liam held his breath. Eventually, the white petals regained their shine and the pistils pointed upwards. Maura faced Liam again, a somewhat sheepish grin on her lips. The teenager had only eyes for Bobby’s awestruck and loving gaze. He wished he would someday find his soulmate, too.

“That’s enough, dear, or Mister Payne will be convinced you were as clueless as our son”, the woman chuckled, bringing Liam’s attention back to her. He politely nodded, silently thanking her for showing her skills. She had in no way any obligation to share this kind of information with him. Then again, he was family now, in a very peculiar way.

“Needless to say”, she went on, unfazed by the audience’s thoughtful expression, “my own Shadow was released a week after I presented. We remained friends, of course, but there was no point in maintaining our bond, I am sure you understand.”  
“Niall has never shown any kind of ability or potential, as it is usually the case for young mages growing up”, Bobby said. He sounded strained, like he was suddenly eager to justify his actions. “The topic was just… never brought up: we assumed he was much closer to a human. We know that is not the way it works”, he snapped impatiently as Liam opened his mouth to ask a question.   
  
He closed it with a clapping sound.  
  
“But, in our defense, you’ll have to admit there were a lot of reasons to believe Niall would get a normal life. We weren’t even sure they would send someone for him.”  
“And yet, here you are”, Maura smiled at him, as she left her chair to go kiss her husband on the cheek. The Horan held her against his chest.

Liam swallowed audibly. Between Bobby’s outbursts and Maura’s velvety grace, he wouldn’t have been able to say which of the two intimidated him the most. In truth, he simply lacked experience with parents.

“So. Care to explain why you were so keen on enslaving yourself to my son?”, she taunted as she raised a perfect eyebrow.

The mother was definitely the worst, Liam decided. Bobby smirked empathically.

“I wouldn’t word it quite this way”, the guest argued, crossing his arms. “Niall will be thirteen soon; he would have been attributed a Shadow anyways, even if we hadn’t bonded.”  
“Why so fast? Shadows and their protegees usually make sure they can stand each other before they…”  
“He was bleeding already. Now there’s no need to cut him later”, the Shadow shrugged and looked away. With his arms still crossed, he was the perfect image of a caught-red-handed child; but he couldn’t know that, he hadn’t been trained to keep secrets from inquisitive mothers. Maura knew it and pushed her advantage.   
“But why, Liam? Why did you pick him?”  
He refused to answer.   
“Liam, you decided, of your own volition, to maybe dedicate your entire life to incarnate my son’s bodyguard. Surely you can help a mother have a restful sleep and tell her why you mean to protect my Nialler…”  
The new approach failed as well. Liam’s lips didn’t as much as move.   
“Shadow, Master Payne. We looked you up when we heard you were coming to Mullingar, you’re second best of your class. Could have had your pick of the litter”, Bobby tried. “No doubt you could have found yourself a … a sweet Mage girl to shadow, someone more outgoing than Niall, less… less shy, with an easier temper, overall and yet, you…”

Liam felt his blood boil with anger, his arms unwrapped and his fists clench. The kitchen walls took on a darker tone.

“He’s not. He’s not like that.”, he breathed out. “I mean, he is shy but that’s nothing to be ashamed of.” (And it’s rather cute). “Niall is nice. And polite. And considerate. And respectful. Agreeing to go out with a strange new neighbor without second-guessing you. He listens to you… He… pays attention to people. And he is joyful, like his laugh…”

He trails off to gather his thoughts, missing Maura’s understanding look.

“And he’s innocent. He… he wears his heart on his sleeve. That’s worth protecting at all costs”, he concluded. And he has the most amazing blue eyes, he added for himself.   
“I see”, Bobby said matter-of-factly, a ghost of a smile on his face and Liam realized he’d been tricked.   
“Well, Liam, I need you to promise something else to me”, Niall’s mother whispered. “I need you to promise me that no matter what happens, unless Niall finally presents, you will never reveal the existence of magic to him.”

Still stunned by his confession, the Shadow bound himself once more to the Horans. He was in so deep already.

 

As it turned out, Liam wouldn’t even be able to hold his first engagement. Later that night, the Shadow would pull a screaming Niall out of his bedroom’s window as the Horans’ house would go up in flames, killing Maura and Bobby in their sleep. And six months later, when Liam would ring the house door of Niall’s aunt in London and greet him with a somewhat-comforting “You’re alive”, he’d be met with a blank stare and an equally icy “No, I’m really not”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... that chapter does not end too well.
> 
> Anyways, this isn't the story.  
> The actual story takes place six years later. In London (mostly and afaik). But I kinda liked this meet-cute, so. Thought I'd share it as a teaser. Hope it worked for y'all.


	3. Niall, resurrected

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, chapter 3 is out!
> 
> Okay, so my story is finally starting. Well, magic only invades the lines starting next chapter...
> 
> Hope the first two chapters help understand the relationship between Niall and Liam. Obviously, I intend to have some more fun with alternating POVs.
> 
> You guys enjoy and let me know what you think?
> 
> (Ha! Still no mention of Harry. Can you guys guess what his role in this story will be already?)

_Six years later_

 

Niall let the door of his apartment shut behind him as quietly as he could. Sure enough, though, Liam stood awkwardly on the other side of the hallway, rearranging his doormat with the tip of his foot. In six years of having Liam as his neighbor, even when had moved from Aunt’s Leyla to his own place, he had never been able to go out without finding Liam, silently waiting for him. Yup, definitely as creepy as it sounded and Niall had actually never mentioned this to anyone. Which wasn’t that difficult because he mostly kept to himself.

At first, Niall had imagined that Liam had followed him to London to finish the job. Even then, and despite his utter lack of will to survive his grief, he couldn’t persuade himself to truly believe in his theory. After all, the strange lad had saved his life, and the blonde knew he should have been grateful. But he could have done without the constant reminder of the day his parents passed away looming around his new household. It wasn’t like he was still scared of Liam. If he had to be truly honest, the Irish almost started to feel comforted by his ever-reliable presence around. Yet as the memory of this day and the terrible night that followed were sharply engraved on his mind, he had quite a strong opinion on the Wolverhampton man. Basically, Liam was a weirdo, morbidly drown to him for unhealthy reasons. Not dangerous, but deadly annoying.

Said boy clumsily waved at him. He didn’t even try to hide that he was in fact waiting for Niall to move so he could follow.

“Ever thought that you may be a bit of a cock block, sicko?”, Niall taunted, tight lips betrayed by the glint in his eyes.

Liam at least had the decency to look ashamed. He casted his eyes towards the ground, but nevertheless fell into step almost militarily as soon as the blonde moved.

“Good morning, Niall”, he announced softly.   
“Whatever”, the Irish retorted as he adjusted his one-strap back pack on his shoulder. Liam didn’t reply.

They followed a similar routine every morning of the week. When he felt well-rested – it had maybe happened once or twice since he had lost everything –, he greeted his mysterious neighbor politely, even put on a smile on his face. When he was late – most days – however, he simply ignored him. Increasingly over the past few years, Niall had been feeling a little more playful, rekindling with his upbeat and happy old self. In those instances, he usually found a way to make fun of the situation, trying everything he could think of to make Liam lose his cool. And this time, the boy had a good feeling about his chances.

He stepped out of his – their – building and dashed to meet his mate Louis, who he had repeatedly asked to pick him up and drive him to university.

“Hey Ni! What took you so long? You hair is a mess”, commented his friend with a sassy tone as he leant over the car window.  
“Right back at ya, Fluffy! Like they care about you being late to your drama classes”, Niall teased back.   
“What can I say? You have to give space to the artistic mind to express itself”, Louis laughed as he pushed his sun glasses back up his nose, covering cloudy blue eyes. “Aren’t you going to introduce us?”, he added as he nodded towards Liam, who had stopped on the sidewalk.  
“Your pea brain barely takes any space at all. And… No, I’m not”, Niall concluded the exchange as he walked around the car, opened the front door and got in.   
“Especially if the proportions to your minuscule body are respected”, a low voice in the backseat completed. “Good morning, Niall! I’m Louis’ roommate, Zayn.”

Niall’s laughter filled the car. He spared a glance at Liam when he calmed down and spotted his furrowed brow, his expression mixed between bewilderment, concern and, Niall hoped, mild annoyance. Only then did he turn back to face Zayn. The university student appeared to be the chilled, aloof type. He wore tight black jeans and a large yellow-orange shirt with rolled-up sleeves. Niall could spot a few colorful paint stains here and there – and a few of Zayn’s chest hair, since the first three buttons were indecently open. The skin exposure was made particularly obvious by the contrast – the blonde assumed Zayn came from somewhere in Asia – between the luminous garment and his darker complexion.  

“Ha! You’re the Zayn! Pleased to meet you. You’re majoring in Plastic Arts, right?”

Zayn simply smiled. Niall thought it was a bit sad for a person with such delicate and finely-chiseled features to dedicate his time to draw others. He’d never say it out loud, though or Louis would never let him live this down. If Niall was the physical opposite of Zayn, Louis was his personality opposite; as bubbly and overexcited, ups and downs, as Zayn seemed to be calm and silent. The Irish could barely imagine these two sharing a flat. Hell, he didn’t know if he could live with Louis. Sure, he loved the guy. It had been Louis who had poked his rib in high school and asked him if they could team up for the history project. Louis again, who had unilaterally decided they should celebrate their B by binging on superhero movies in his house – back then, Louis still lived with his parents. Louis still, who had hugged Niall the first time he cried himself to sleep retelling the night his parents died between sobs. Louis eventually, that Niall let himself call his friend, or Tommo, or Fluffy. The second he had started to open up to him, the boy had never left his side. Niall could barely believe that up until two years ago, he had been constantly alone… except for Liam, sort of.

But in spite of the depth of their friendship, Niall knew better than to provide Louis any material to be mercilessly teased with. It didn’t matter anyway, because Louis always came up with new ideas.

“Isn’t it ironic, Ni’? Three of us in this car, including two art students and you’re the craziest of the bunch”, he mused as he took place behind the wheel and joined the traffic, leaving a dumbfounded Liam behind, arms hanging along his body. It started to drizzle. The blonde felt bad for a second, but it was not like he owed anything to the guy. He cranked up the volume on the radio and started to drum against the board.

“Right! You’re that crazy smart kid who studies sociology, biology and psychology.”

Niall blushed, cursing once more his fair skin. Being around Tommo, he had had no choice but to learn how to banter and to feel more confident in his body. It didn’t mean he was less shy around new people, at least at first.

“I j-just… feel like there isn’t e-enough sociology in m-med sc-school”, he explained. “You know?”, he added, now desperate for validation from his peers.  
“Makes sense to me”, Zayn quipped and Louis shot him a reassuring smile. “You gotta do what feels right or it’s just not worth doing it.”

They chatted on various topics during the drive to uni, getting to know one another and the conversation quickly slipped into comfortable and open-minded exchanges – with occasional snarky comments from Louis. It was hard to dislike Zayn, Niall found, as the lad proved to be both a good and curious listener and full of precious and caring insights. The blonde could now see how the two flat mates could relate to one another.

“So”, Louis prompted as he parked the car near their destination. He smiled that “resistance-is-useless“-smirk, that had Niall a bit worried, but mostly fond. “Pub tonight?”  
“Sure”, Zayn said.  
“You know I don’t drink”, Niall whined.   
“Listen to me, Horan. It is time to change your wrongful ways and honor your ancestors. You are going. End of discussion.”  
“Fine. One pint”, Niall played along.   
“Three.”  
“One and one shot.”  
“Two pints and three shots.”  
“Three shots. One pint.”  
“Deal”, Louis grinned, all teeth. “Meet’cha at five! Have a good day in school, kiddos!”

They exited the car and made their way towards their first classes of the day. With a ride to uni who saved him from the rain, a puzzled-looking Liam, a new soon-to-be friend and a plan already set for a Tuesday evening, Niall internally chalked it up to a good week. He couldn’t have been more wrong.


	4. Liam, annoyed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woaw! Chapter 4!
> 
> Which should shed some light (see what I did there? :-D ) on Liam's... abilities ?  
> And Harry is finally introduced to our story as well. 
> 
> I was really looking forward to writing this chapter because of all the magic and explaining what Shadows really are and how they work (though I promise you it is not all yet). So how did I do? The main intrigue has not started yet but almost all of it is in place.
> 
> I tried to make Liam and Niall different in the way they see the world and tell their stories. Hope that works too and that you continue to enjoy it.

“But he’s impossible”, Liam whined as he leaned back against his chair, only getting Harry’s quiet chuckles as an answer.

He sighed as he took the lush furniture around his former classmate’s office. Ruby red reflections danced on the maple wooden desk as the fire crackled in the chimney. All four walls were covered in various representations of their power, their work, their way-of-life; the result should have been mismatched, but the dark shadows ornamenting all the works of art created a soothing unity, granting to the room a sanctuary vibe… And yet, as comfortable as he imagined the days to pass if he had worked at a desk like his friend, Liam had another place he knew he had to be. Knew he needed to be.

“You did choose him, Leemo! Second-guessing yourself now? So out of character for you!”, Harry questioned, voice so soft and quiet that the taunting came out as a caress. The curly-haired man readjusted small round glosses on his nose and rested his elbows on the wide green desk mat. He quickly smoothed his olive green tie down before planting eyes of a similar color and form in Liam’s chocolate ones.

The real question was one hundred per cent clear: Would you leave if you could? The thought teared painfully at Liam’s heart, as the magic bond always did whenever he spent too much time apart from the blonde kid, reminding him of his primary mission and promise. _Protect protect protect._ Liam’s actual answer did not need to be voiced either. The two had been raised together in the way of the Shadows, picked at their youngest age amongst the outcasts and the worthless of this world, made strong and dedicated and loyal to a fault by implacable training. Their friendship ran far beyond words. Even when their destinies had turned out to be so different.

“But listen, Haz. I can’t talk to him unless he talks to me first. And whenever he does, he does his best to make me uncomfortable. He never takes his safety into consideration or characters in the parameters. He basically ran away from me this morning… I know he doesn’t know anything, but I…”  
“Here you go. You answered yourself”, Harry interrupted, having heard the same rant for years by now, “As for the whole running away part… Are you sure you took a shower this morning? Or even yesterday? Did you shower yesterday, Leemo?”, he repeated with a smile, used to Liam’s complaints by now.  
“Shut up, Styles.”  
“Sorry, mate. Listen and listen well, because then I am throwing you out of my office. I have actual work, too, you know”, Harry said ignoring Liam’s snort. “You said you bonded yourself to Niall to keep him happy and smiling.”  
“It hasn’t exactly worked”, Liam pouted.   
“You can’t save everyone, Liam, no matter how much they tried to make us believe it at camp. There is another side to what happened earlier: he is finally opening up, ready to face the world, to laugh. He is meeting new people, making new friends. You should be glad for him. You have been watching him for years. Shouldn’t you be there now, too? Especially because… there are new people around him and…”  
“Alright, alright, I’m going”, the Shadow cut. “No need to go all patronizing on me.”  
“Well, technically, I am your handler, so.”  
“I could wipe your sorry arse in seconds, Styles”, Liam shouted playfully as he jumped off the padded chair, instantly projected Shadows spears all around him.

He only attacked Harry for pleasure these days, always entranced by the unique manifestation of his best friend’s power. He watched entranced as, instead of defending or fighting him back, Harry’s shadow extended on the floor and walls to meet the sharp points of his own. With the same deliberate slowness, the ghost-like arms seemed to coax his spears, disarm them of their aggressiveness until they retracted and sort of laid on the carpet, as if they were waiting for Harry to pet their bellies. Liam smiled at the picture.

“You sure talk big, Payne, but I was first of the class for a reason.”

In all their years of fighting against the other to train, Liam had never beaten the green-eyed boy. His magic appeared to be entirely focused on charming and calming his opponent’s shadows instead of combatting them straight on. Harry Styles was the only living record of this occurrence gifted in ways Liam’s hard work and efforts had never been able to complete with. They both knew the major role it had played in their current respective positions. They never talked about it. They didn’t this time either; Liam silently closed the door behind him. Focusing on the nagging pull on his heart, he quickly located Niall and proceeded to make his way towards the mage he had sworn his life to.

Instead of entering the pub, the Shadow found himself hiding in a secluded alley. Waiting. After a glance inside the bar, he had quickly identified both Louis and his protégé, but Zayn had yet to arrive. Which was perfect. The only event of the day he could count himself lucky for. Which also made it a bit suspicious, he reasoned, slowly falling back into soldier training. Liam had triple-checked the setting since he had found the ideal trap spot. Dimly-lit by a lamppost in the main avenue and on the obligated route to the bar: Liam’s plan could not fail.

Of course, the drizzle has not yet stopped all day long, only getting colder as the hours went by. It contributed greatly to reinforce Liam’s annoyance. Wet and cold was not a good combination for most people. Add “ditched” to the mix and you got the recipe for a very frustrated Liam. He had been extensively told growing up that their lives as Shadows were of honor and sacrifices; he had just not been prepared for the added secrecy and feeling of ungratefulness from Niall.

Liam finally spotted Zayn half-walking half-running towards him. He sprang into action, grabbed the art student by the collar of his stupid yellow shirt, yanked him into the alley and slammed him into the brick wall. It took a few seconds for the raven-haired boy to recover. Gulping for hair, he stared at his attacker, wide-eyed before he started screaming, half-choking on the rain penetrating his mouth and lungs.

With a wary sigh, Liam focused on their shadows, drawn by the street lights on the facing wall. Much like he had done this afternoon with Harry, the soldier projected shadow spears in a circle all around him. It was the easy part. Projection. The basics for all and every shadow user, Harry Styles included. The lowest and biggest step the chosen bodyguards had to conquer: the discovery of their gift. Then came manipulation. Squinting his eyes, Liam redesigned on his spear into a gag that his own shadow applied to Zayn’s. He could have placed it magically but when it came to touching other’s shadows, Liam usually preferred to use his own, relying on the human form to dose his strength rather than on pseudo-telekinetic abilities.

Yellow shirt’s black eyes widened even more when muffled sounds came out of his mouth. Unable to comprehend the situation, as he had not seen the shadow gag secured around his shadow, Zayn started to panic. Then again, even if he had witnessed Liam’s skills, it would have been a pretty great stretch for him to instantly admit the existence of the magic and the truth that, by affecting his shadow, his attacker was capable of affecting his physical body as well.

Third step, finally, of this modus operandi, possession. The Wolverhampton lad sharpened one his ethereal spears and introduced it in Zayn’s actual ear. The victim suddenly calmed down, going limp against Liam’s strong arms. The whole scene had lasted three seconds. Three and a half, Liam timed in his own mind. He once could do it in two. With all the years of Niall being a recluse, he was a bit out of practice. He sighed a second time, loudly and long, and closed his eyelid as he refocused his thoughts on the passed out man in his hold.  For the first time since had left his friend’s work, he spoke.

“Now now, pretty face, let’s see what we can find in this head of yours”, he mumbled, letting the words fall out of his mouth. “Zayn… Zayn Malik… Pakistani origins… Studies art… Draws… Paintings…. Wow, naked people”, Liam stuttered as he blushed slightly. But in the dark of the small street, none would be the wiser. “Louis’ roommate…”, he rambled again as he resumed rummaging in the other man’s thoughts. “… Louis naked… not surprising… drawing is not bad, you’re talented, Malik. I’ll give you that…”

In all his years, the Shadow had never been able to conquer his running mouth while temporarily scouring someone’s mind. His own brain-to-mouth filter went offline during the operation and there was nothing he could do about it. It was one of the reasons he picked remote areas to detect potential hidden enemies or threats amongst Niall’s new acquaintances.

“…Imagine my day, _Zayn…_  Waking up to a cheerful Niall, for what is literally the first time in years… And he is meeting you… Going off and leaving me behind… I… I _will_ protect him, you know… Sisters... Lots of respect for your mother, you have… Lucky you to still have them… You see, _Zayn_ ”, Liam muttered with a bite he did not know he was capable of until this morning, “I basically gave him my life. My entire life… A thank you… Ah, there is a girl… A thank you from time to time would be nice… The girl… Perrie… Cute, if you are into that sort of things. Obviously you have more time on your hands than I do to worry about falling in love”, Liam concluded, his search completed.

“You are not a threat to my protégé”, he stated, only half-content with his recon mission. He could have done with an outlet for his anger. “Know nothing about mages. Nor Shadows”, he said again as he started to remove himself from his victim’s mind.

“And you wanna know the very best of this trick? You won’t even remember being mugged! You won’t remember me! Isn’t that neat? It’s the theme of the day: Invisible Liam!”, he complained as he erased the memories of the last minute before gently placing the lad on the main street, facing his destination, before vanishing back in the alley. He watched longingly as Zayn joined the world of the conscious, living, existing human beings and resumed his run towards the pub and his social life, completely unscathed.

He decided he deserved a pint for his hard work after all. As he slowly crossed the street, he easily convinced himself that it had nothing to do with wanting to see Niall after a whole day spent without him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm...  
> Niall and Liam sitting in a *pub*...
> 
> Next chapter is already titled.  
> "Niall, proper pissed"  
> More guesses at how the story progresses?
> 
> See you soon!  
> (And please tell me something about your day!)


	5. Niall, proper pissed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 5 is on its way.  
> Trust me, I always always always finish my stories. No matter how long it takes, I keep getting back to them until they're over and done.
> 
> Also, it's been too long since I've read a Niam story in AO3. So here's one chapter, hopefully it'll be worth your waiting so long.
> 
> (If you must know, I had quite a bit of a writer's block for this chapter. I like happy Drunk!Niall but I find him difficult to write, especially with his past in this story. The chapter was also a long process to describe for him to arrive at this conclusion. But hey, no spoiler. I'll shut up for now.)

« Irish, your stalkerish one-night stand just made his entry. », Louis pointed out as he nodded towards Liam’s hunched form over the counter.

Niall could not help himself but find it extremely amusing. Trust Louis to make him down the three promised shots in less than fifteen minutes and to keep on ordering beers once inhibitions were broken. Niall had been overdrinking under duress for the past sixty-seven minutes. And he found it extremely amusing. He giggled to swallow the mild embarrassed who threatened to take hold through the booze-y haze. 

« Liam’s not. », the blonde argued to Zayn who had joined them not ten minutes ago. Louis would believe what he’d chosen anyways, in his free spirit usual manner.  
« So you do know him », snarled the fluffy haired boy. « And here I thought you had finally taken after your master. That you had gone and gotten laid with a perfect stranger. I was so proud, Nialler. Now all I feel is disappointment. »

His friends watched bewildered as he solemnly raised his pint.

« Hear, hear! To Niall James Horan, biggest greatest most heart-wrenching disappointment of my life!”, he yelled, knocking his glass with theirs, before downing it in one go. 

Of course, there were some patrons to cheer along, leading the unfortunate student to follow after his friend’s lead. He finished under the encouraging stare of his neighbor, who smiled, full of mischief. Zayn’s own drink remained untouched. Habits and experience of bringing with Louis spoke for themselves. The thought made him smile lazily.

“Well well well, the Leprechaun in him awakes. And it’s thirsty’, Louis sing-songed with a gravelly voice. “Gonna order two more!”, he added swiftly. “Gotta keep the beast sated or else…”

The brunet ran out of the booth before Niall could fathom the idea of stopping him. He was not sure he wanted to. It was the first time he felt like he was having fun in… forever, maybe.

“Pace yourself, mate”, Zayn quipped, from his seat in front of him. 

He was thanked with another smile. Niall felt like smiling a lot, tonight. The raven-haired boy returned it.

“Wanna talk about what’s going on with you and this Liam-guy?”, he asked then, as non-intrusive as Louis had been obnoxious.

The young man would never be sure, exactly, of what he shared with his new-found pal, but he let the flow of words pour out of his mouth and watched the beautiful face’s expressions switch from earnest to understanding to surprised to stricken until it fixated on saddened. Perfect timing for Louis to come back to – or to chime in to; maybe he had been there for a longer time. After all, the blonde had been nursing a fresh pint for a while now. He quenched his thirst with two or three greedy gulps, thus concluding his life story.

“In any case, blondie, your fuckbuddy is hot.”, the sassy boy noted a-propos of nothing. 

It wasn’t unlike Louis to be the quickest to react and to enlighten the heavy mood which had settled upon their trio. But then again, he had already known everything of Niall’s tragic past but Liam’s involvement, which kind of gave him a head start to handle this particular situation. The unashamed off-handed comment threw Niall into a laughing fit. He drank half of his pint to chase his remaining giggles but did not completely miss the silent exchange between the two roommates. Once again, Louis eased down the building tension. Same tactics, Niall coldly reckoned, but as long as it worked…

“Come on, Nialler, admit he’s hot.”  
“He’s not my fuck buddy”, Niall countered, and his own slur surprised him. He mechanically put the glass to his lips to ground himself, noticing his friends’ complicit looks. Zayn’s own drink remained untouched.  
“But…”, the inebriated university student pursued, and his voice became uncertain as his vision gained focus while he planted his eyes on Zayn’s, checking his reactions.

Growing up in Mullingar, Niall had no seen much in terms of alternate lifestyles. He had always firmly believed that men only loved women and he could easily explain his old shyness with his feeling of inadequacy due to his fright of girls. Even then, he had been repeated that this phase was not uncommon, that it would come to pass. The double sudden death of his parents had put this path to self-discovery on pause for years. After he had moved to London, the teenager had been exposed to other forms of sexuality. And while the overbearing sensation of numbness prevented him from taking down that road himself still, it had helped in opening up his ears and mind, until there had been nothing left of the Irish child’s old beliefs. But it was not until he met Tommo that he had started to overtly ask questions, to his openly bisexual friend and, more importantly, to himself: And then, there had been the revealing sleepover at the Tomlinsons; the night of his first and only kiss, eleven months and three days ago…

He blushed more at the memory than at the admission of his homosexuality. Finding nothing more but acceptance on Zayn’s face, he pushed a bit further.  
“You’re pretty.”

Louis snorted on his left. With the dimmed lighting and Zayn’s dark complexion, his embarrassment was only betrayed by his wavering voice.

“Thank you, Niall. Always means a lot from cute people. But I don’t swing that way myself.”

But said Niall had already reported his attention towards Liam, now comforted and ready to answer Louis’ taunting with the most cutting honesty. Liam still stat at the counter, his hand clasped around what looked like a glass of whiskey. Translucid pearls of rain glistened on his black leather jacket. That was new. But the blonde recognized the white fitted shirt underneath and the everlasting black tight jeans. He realized then he hadn’t really looked at Liam in years, and quickly proceeded to map all the differences between this stranger and the stranger he had been introduced in his parents’ living room two lifetimes ago.  
Gone were the red converses in profit of dark Italian shoes, the only originality being the white laces. He had not grown much in size – but then again, neither had Niall; his fingers, however, seemed longer and more graceful, and his shoulders and arms had filled up nicely, enough that Niall wondered if abs were now decorating what had once looked like a flat stomach. His stalker’s usually expressionless face was presently contorted into a pout, which made Niall successively think about a brainless jock, a kicked puppy and a heartbroken fifteen-year-old. The plush lips were framed by a beard, but it was short enough that he couldn’t say whether it was designed to resemble this “just out of bed” messy look or unshaved. The dirty blonde curls had left place to a buzz cut, a tad darker maybe, as much as one could be sure from afar and in this light. Finally, the Horan kid found he has quite never forgotten the almond-shaped chocolate eyes, and the thought made him slightly giddy…

Right until he realized these eyes were staring right back at him. For who knows how long. Mortified he held his head down. And since he’d just hit rock bottom, he mumbled, for the others’ benefit:  
“Yes, he’s beautiful!”

And he finished Louis’ beer as payment in kind. Fluffy didn’t protest, just stared down at his own glass, still one-third full.

“Well, I’ve been thinking”, Louis replied as if his friend had not just spaced out on them.  
“Did it hurt?”, Zayn cut in, insolently.  
“And I think”, Louis went on, “that Liam is waiting for his kiss.”  
“What?”, his friend shouted, straightening his head to deserve Liam just a second more. He decided the chocolate eyes were looking at him with concern. The familiarity of the look disturbed him and pleased him at the same time. There was a humming sound encompassing him he soon realized came from him.  
“If he saved your life like the chivalrous knight you say he is”, Louis explained, “and if he has been tagging along ever since, there is only one explanation left: he’s awaiting for his princess’s ‘thank you’ kiss.”  
“Obviously”, Zayn agreed with all the sarcasm he could muster.  
“You know what?”, the wasted university student concluded theatrically. “Worth a try!”

He gulped down the rest of his pint, climbed over his best friend – and possibly worst enemy –, stumbled when his feet touched the sticky floor of the bar again, righted himself as he scanned the room to regain some composure.

He then crossed the room full of people. Marched towards his goal with ample strides. And without any more words, Niall planted one on Liam.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I now have a brand new Tumblr : http://shatteeran.tumblr.com/
> 
> Come say hi?  
> And read and leave MPs.  
> And submit prompts.  
> And share about stories and writing.  
> And tell me something about your day.  
> Anything, really. :)


	6. Liam, proper kissed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Liam reacts to being kissed, Niall discovers there's more to life than he ever expected, and old promises & rules are reexamined...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pfew! I'm a bit late on a schedule I have not announced.  
> I know this is my go-to excuse, but... work. Love it AND can't leave it without it. Hard to balance sometimes.
> 
> But I want to be better. So... please visit me on Tumblr (shatteeran). I would like to get to work and discuss with other writers around here, beta if you feel like I could be of any help - maybe exchange prompts?
> 
> Anyway... here's chapter 6. This is where I was getting to since the beginning of this story: their first actual interaction. From then on, it's Niam all around.  
> Hope you enjoy this bit.

Liam's worry increased when Niall made his way across the bar towards him. His protege wobbled and smiled goofily in spite of the intensity and eerily out of place seriousness of his stare. The Shadow's interdiction to initiate a conversation with him remained, but everything in Niall's behavior indicated that some sort of interaction between the two of them was about to take place and upon his arrival, Liam's instinct reacted. He grabbed him by the elbows to stabilize him and immediately asked how the kid was feeling. For a trained guardian, he found himself completely overwhelmed when two simultaneous occurrences happened. First, despite all these hours spent at the gym trying to increase his physical strength, he had not been quite able to block Niall's course ; the blonde's momentum allowed him to move forward until their chests collided. Second, the Horan kid, instead of looking unfazed by the turn of events, instead of replying to Liam's question, simply, stole his first kiss.

If he had been at all capable of being honest with himself when Niall was concerned, Liam would have easily admitted that, at this precise moment, the rest of his Shadow training had gone out the window. But truth is, Liam had not been objective nor rational about Niall-related things since the day they had met. As an immediate result, he mistook the tingles coursing through his body for shock and completely tuned out Malik's and Tomlinson's catcalls to listen to the whispered "Leeyum", mushed against his shirt as Niall snuggled against him with no apparent intention to move. Liam wrapped his arms protectively around him, delighted when his protege's sigh reverberated along his body, like a second wave rippling and chasing the tingles away.

Only then did reality catch up with him. A now standing wide-eyed Liam suddenly took in all his surroundings. In his direct perimeter, the loud conversations in the bar, the press of the wooden, sturdy chair against his lower back and thigh, the smell of Niall's skin he was not supposed to remember after all these years, the warmth of his embrace he had never known, the humid chilly air sliding through the open door, even though he could not tell if it was still raining. In the background, the two friends keeping watch, looking unsure of their next move since Niall seemed obviously comfortable where he was. The bartender, surreptitiously checking whether he was gonna pay or try to leave, now that one of his patrons had obviously caught someone for the night. A girl with brown hair, still dressed in elegant - and maybe a bit too formal - clothing, throwing him a disappointed look while sipping a martini. And yet all this information did not help him in the slightest with figuring out what he should do in this precise situation.

After six years deprived of physical contact and almost any kind of social interaction, aside from his weekly rants to Harry and his scouring of the brain of anyone who entered Niall's life, Liam had never dared to imagine his lot would one day change and hence had never bothered to implement a protocol for this kind of outcome. More importantly, he had not prepared himself to handle it. The blissful cluelessness was slightly getting on his nerves. Niall got him out of his conundrum.

"M'sleepy, Leeyum. Take me home."

How it suddenly seemed like the best idea in the world and how it had not gone through the Shadow's brain puzzled him. Nonetheless, he readjusted the dead weight in his arms to half-drag half-carry him to the street. He made his mind just as he awkwardly reached around Niall's body for his wallet to pay his drink. Very carefully - with maybe too much tenderness if he was acknowledging the red invading his cheeks under the gaze of Horan's mates -, he propped his protege against his chair, shushing him when the blonde mop of hair whined and struggled to remain hidden in his shirt.

"I'll be back in twenty-five seconds. I promise."  
"Your promises are worth shite."

It had been said without cruelty, or any other emotion, for that matter: a simple truth blurted out in the middle of a drunken haze. Maybe it was to hide his hurt, maybe it was a reaction to Niall's own pain laced beyond the words, maybe the peck had rendered him truly insane. He delicately raised Niall's down-casted face towards him and kissed his forehead.

"Niall James Horan, I promise."

He then quickly walked to Malik's and Tomlinson's and explained more than he asked that he would be putting Niall to bed and text them from Niall's phone once the kid was safely tucked under his blankets. Louis made a show of studying him, head to toe - and possibly the red on the guardian's traitorous cheeks bloomed a couple of shades more - before nodding curtly. Liam was not encline to stay and ponder the lad's reasons for approving him, but he silently thanked his good luck for putting them in the same side ; he had a hunch he would have hated having to fight the fierce and sassy boy. And just as he was congratulating himself for earning the best friend's approval, he instantly cursed his own stupidity as a full weight fell down on his shoulders. He growled and automatically assumed a defensive stance, body turned inwards to protect his organs and throat. Adrenaline coursed through his veins: one minute of inattention over the past seventy-two months and it had been enough for them to be once again under attack; one silly drunken kiss and he had failed the man he had sworn his life to. Once again. Even if he deployed his shadows in public, the warrior in him had no doubt that Niall's pursuers would have taken their prize far away by then. He fought the panic down and allowed one shudder to wake up his limbs. He was ready to pounce.

Two arms snakily crossed around his chest and soon a warmth breath mumbled behind his left ear.

"M'tired, Leeyum. Home now?"

Liam deflated like a balloon. He continued to gape at Louis' inquisitive eyebrow, overwhelmed with relief, guilt and a tiny bit of embarrassment.

"Happy now, Tommo?", Zayn wondered, looking very amused by the whole scene. "You've created a monster."  
"Everybody loves a cuddle monster. Am I right, 'Leeyum' ?", replied his blue-eyed friend between two chuckles.

'Leeyum' simply bid them goodnight, tucked Niall against his hip and quickly marched outside, feeling like a complete moron. Zayn's glass remained untouched.  
Since he had met Niall, the moronic feeling had been far from an unusual occurrence. But there never had been witnesses to laugh at his expense before. Thanks to Niall, he was at his second experience in the field in just one day. He really could not wait for it to end.

Of course, as things generally go in his line of work, bad news travel together. Barely a couple of hours after he had put a very cuddly boy to sleep and sent a picture of the button-shaped nose peaking from behind the Irish-flag comforter, he was woken up with an incredulous and incredibly loud:

"WHAT THE FUCK?"

At the very least, the events of the evening had reignited his old reflexes. He got up in one jump, had dashed through his bedroom's door in a second and was bursting into Niall's flat in the next. Completely ignoring the broken pieces of the door, pathetically split along its center and hanging from the sides of its frame, he allowed his mind to gather information from his shadow clone's perceptions and raced without even decelerating straight towards the bathroom.

Niall stood in front of his cabinet mirror and from his position, Liam knew he had been studying his own reflection when he had yelled. Aside from the incriminating polished surface and maybe a lighting a bit too harsh for an unfortunate lad who was probably still transitioning from drunk to hangover, his protege seemed to be perfectly fine. The boy blinked at him several times, obviously confused, then slowly and shamelessly let his gaze roam over the intruder's body. The warrior ceased to assess the perimeter to forcibly notice his own state of undress: his very awaken self-awareness thanked him for taking the habit of sleeping in undies, just in case he would be needed on the spot; otherwise, he would have shown up stark naked.

The Shadow shook the unease the best way he knew how: by returning the favor. Chocolate eyes checked Niall's body for possible injuries, scratches or marks, soreness or stiffness. But, and he now felt ridiculous for not letting his shadow spy finish his observations before he'd decided to crash the door, apart from drying drool on his cheek, sweaty blonde strands of hair who announced a very bad hair day to come, and navy blue short pajamas a size too small for decency, he ...

"At the risk of repeating myself", Niall whispered, the hint of a disbelieving smirk on the left corner of his mouth, "what the fuck?"  
"Did you break my door?", he added softly when Liam failed to respond, wavering on his feet as he waited for Liam's daze to dissipate.

And only then did the guardian realized that something was effectively, undeniably and utterly wrong. Only then did he pick up on what could have been the reason's behind Niall's shouting in the middle of the night: as the blonde walked uncertainly to leave the bathroom, the Shadow finally took in the strange lighting arrangement of the room. Precisely, he noticed the total absence of lighting... because, when Niall turned into the hallway, the room Liam remained dumbstruck in got suddenly plunged in the dark. Very curious - and sleep-deprived - brown eyes peered into Niall's suite. And indeed, as the boy made his way to his bedroom, a soft, iridescent glow emanated from his skin and danced on the walls. The luminescence shone a warm yellow with an inviting quality to it. Liam shook his head, all ideas of testing Niall's skin for warmth sticking in the most secretive corners of his brain. He simply followed the light source, mesmerized by the lazy liveness it exuded.

At some point, Niall simply glared over his shoulder, his own way of saying "Can I at least get dressed before we discuss whatever this is?". He pushed the bedroom door to a close right on Liam's flushed cheeks and nose. His haze dissipated. Niall had awoken his skills. Why so late, though? Late bloomers were not unheard of in their world, but it usually meant a power who would be difficult to master, a gradual increase of latent magic which exploded when the mage showed enough strength, character and self-control to dig into it. Not this - admittedly beautiful and hypnotizing - shining... skin. Liam could not even recall the occurence of a similar power in all his years of learning.

It also meant the promise he had made to Niall's parents all these years ago was lifted. He would finally be able to explain his presence to the kid, his behavior, his stalkerish attitude. If Niall allowed him to speak, of course. His heart filled with excitement at the thought of rekindling the Horan lad with his inheritance and past. The Shadow was confident he could break it to his protege; he had rehearsed this very moment so many times in this head. He would avoid being blunt, let each truth sink in, keep his own role and position for the end of the explanation, first providing a context and frame for Niall to grasp and accept before moving into the description of the life-changing events that were going to take place. There were dispositions to take, naturally, to insure his safety and... Oh.

Threats. With Niall's power awakened, they would be coming for him, maybe were already on their way. Liam was not the only one being able to detach his shadow from his body to let it roam and scour the Earth ; the Irish had probably been followed and spied upon ever since he had left the land of his forefathers. Until the mage honed his skills or until he was proven to be a minor player in their never ending war, the warrior needed to be at his side at all times: the very purpose of his assignment was at stake. The bedroom door between the two men was becoming as increasingly inconvenient as the flat door had once been. The Shadow would have once more sent his spy to insure his protege's safety but if Niall was indeed in the process of changing clothes, it seemed rather rude to be looking, even indirectly or for good reasons. Especially when both his methods and justifications were about to be exposed to the very victim of the perving. He opted for rasping his knuckles against the door instead.

It opened just a second before they made contact with the white-painted wood. Niall stared at him, his eyes blown with astonishment. Liam stared back, his own squinted with an embarrassment he could not detect a source from.

"And of course, the sicko stands right outside the door, scratching at it like a lost puppy. And of course, he still will not offer any kind of explanation. Of fucking course!", Niall mumbled as he walked past Liam into the hallway and turned left to enter his living-room, never bothering to turn on a lamp.

Apparently, the boy cursing against him in his presence did not count as engaging a conversation because his guardian remained unable to talk back. Liam sighed, shrugged and went after him. It seemed like all he had ever done since he had decided - and repeatedly failed - to keep the smile on the blonde's face at all costs. It turned out the mage was fed up with the silence too. He aggressively focused his gaze on his protector and commanded:

"Now, I know you have been holding out things. I want to know why you are here, how you broke a three-inches-wide wooden door, and why you won't leave me alone. I want to know, I want to know everything and I want to know now. You will not leave, sleep, or even sit until I know. So Tell me everything, Tell me the truth and Tell me now!"

The oppressing squeeze Liam had gotten used to feel around his heart vanished for a second and he breathed in, fully, like he had not done for the past six years. Soon enough, a new frozen hold replaced it, making him choke. After all this time waiting to be allowed to speak freely, he had never imagined his protege's next Order would be worse than the previous one. He struggled to grasp the immensity of his mistake as words and panic started to bubble up in his throat. The next minutes announced to be particularly ugly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos means you read this page till you reached the bottom -> It makes my day!  
> Comments means you read and still wanted to stay on this page a bit more... Woaw! -> I can't even...
> 
> Also : Tumblr (shatteeran)!


	7. Niall, in the know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where a long overdue talk finally occurs and where shadows and Niall's emotions are all over the place...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are! Niall's and Liam's big talk... From now on, it should be just one big mess. :)

Niall, observed, bewildered, as Liam's eyes got rounder with surprise. His shoulders tensed, and talking appeared to be suddenly very difficult to the larger man. He'd never been much of a talker anyway. The hungover Irish boy could have done without the spare time to gawk at his neighbor's almost naked form, though Not that the view wasn't nice to gawk at: Liam was fit. Broad shoulders framed a sculpted and almost hairless chest; muscles rippled on Liam's back as he made to the couch. The blonde regretted not having had one last gulp of water, when Liam sat, his two thighs flexing in the movement. If he was in any way inconvenienced by his state of undress, he didn't show it at all; Niall had to constantly remind himself that he was both angry and demanding answers. On that note, his intrusive guest was still chocking on his words.

"Niall... Please... Cancel... Please!"

"Liam!", Niall shouted, getting impatient.

The other flinched, then short sentences came pouring out of him as he continuously tried and failed to stop the flow.

"I'm Liam James Payne. I'm 19. I'm a Shadow. I'm at the service of Niall James Horan. I thought you were in danger. I broke the door with my shadow spears. Niall... Please... Make it stop!

"What do you mean, make it stop?"

The hint of a smile started to form at the corner of the brunet's mouth, but it died when Niall continued to throw questions around. He had been waiting for an explanation for years, had been trying to make some sense of the strange apparition of Liam in his life and of the brutal change and grief which had immediately followed. He would not let the "Shadow" out of his own sight until he had gotten to the bottom of things. And maybe the dawn of the day coupled with the headache which was brewing at the back of his skull were not the ideal setting for revelations, but it would have to make do. Niall was used to having to reevaluate and compose anyways.

"What's a Shadow? Why are you at my service? What kind of danger? Wait! You have spears? Who the fuck carries spears, plural?"

As they had just before, Liam's stutters evolved into fully consistent phrases. Niall had a nagging feeling that their conciseness was purposely engineered by the man to keep him in the dark as much as possible. He who had been numb to most feelings and stimuli for so long was now achieving new levels of frustration every ten minutes. Light-heading, to say the least.

"A protector of mages and magic, until they come of age."

The stranger bit his lower lip.

"Your mother was a mage. You are thus under my protection. I am protecting you from anyone who would try to use your powers for their benefit. It's shadow spears", Liam recited with an emphasis on shadow. "Every Shadow creates and moulds them at will."

He appeared to ponder his next words.

"Well, depending on their own power and mastery of the Art, of course", he added, smug. "And I meant, the order "tell me the truth and tell it now", make it stop. Cancel it. Until then, it hurts to disobey."

Niall knew he was gaping.He snapped his mouth shut, but reopened it a second later. His turn had come to be unable to formulate an answer. "What?", he breathed out eventually as he joined Liam on the couch.

His neighbor proceeded to repeat his previous statements, to the word, downright with the exact same tones and inflections: from pleading to overly formal, from self-satisfied to sheepish. The pain the brunet explained to be going through registered to the Irish's brain the second time around. He also took notice of the twisted hands the Shadow - in lack of a better term - had clenched between his knees, as if he were indeed distracting himself from a rather tenacious discomfort.

"How do you expect me to believe that?", he asked, apologetic yet incapable of helping himself from trying to learn more. Whether magic truly existed or not, whether his childhood stalker had finally irreversibly turned insane or not, hewould not give up until he understood his reasons. "And how would I make it stop? And why? You have never said this many words to me in all the time you have been following me around."

"I didn't", Liam answered right away, as if had expected the hesitation. "But, in my defense, you kind of are glowing in the dark, even now."

Niall brutally brought his forearm up to his eyes to examine the traitorous limb. Right. Still shining. Liam was not so subtly watching him, amused, adding in his portfolio of facial expressions; there were lots of firsts going around tonight, for sure. Smooth, Horan.

"Even so, I still do not expect you to accept everything I say bluntly. Which is why I would very much like the opportunity to try and explain this mess of a situation with my own words and a freed tongue, so to speak. Whether you believe or not, there is nothing for you to lose in canceling this order. You would just have to say something along the lines of "I cancel the order" and mean it, like it is an end result you truly and deeply wish for. As for your implicit concern of me ceasing this conversation as soon as you have released the bind you casted, be reassured that I too think this is long overdue."

"I just have to say "I cancel the order"? I am not sure how I should say it... Wait! Before I break the spell or whatever, you said my mother had magic: she asked you to be my Shadow? Is that why you came to Mullingar?"

Niall felt a bit ridiculous, discussing the potentialities of magic with a lad who was at the same time his oldest acquaintance, the only reminder of his past life and the strangest person he had ever met. But then again, the red digits on the clock read 3:42 am, the only source of light in the room emanated from his skin, his flat door had been broken open in two an egg by freaking shadows, and he was sat on his couch with an undeniably beautiful young man, who happened to be his neighbor and, well, in underpants. A beautiful young man, he had, not more than four hours ago, kis... Shite!

He almost missed Liam's reply, but the bitterness laced in the advice served as a cold bucket of water.

"Yes. Say it like you would say "Don't ever engage me again, freak!" or "Tell me the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, sicko!". It should work; sure did the last two times. And, not exactly: I was going to be at a young mage's service anyway. But I came to meet you."

The blonde felt like fainting, with the quantity of information he was picking up, having a hard time sorting through hazy memories of a peck he would most definitely get back at Louis for. The mix of emotions, his - shame, light arousal, horror, fluster - and Liam's - annoyance, neutrality, sorrow, reluctance - upped from dizzying to completely overwhelming. The mage's - again, in lack of a better term - contriteness at the idea of the unknown hassle he may or may not have put his Shadow through over their growing up trumped all others.

"I cancel all Orders I ever ever gave you", he stammered, earnest and eager, his blue eyes open wide fixated on the brunet, gauging his reactions. "Did it work?", he wondered aloud after a bit. Then, because he remained a boy facing another cute boy and he needed to know: "W-why did you c-come for m-me?".

Liam shook his upper-body and stretched. Niall silently cursed that bloody spare time once more, but could not have turned his head away if he had tried. The Shadow then faced him again, smug grin this time firmly in place on his lips, and said in his softest voice:

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

Great. A flirty Liam joined the haunting collection of similar-looking figures in Niall's mind. The Shadow got up. The mage inspired loudly.

"Thank you. Now, Niall, if you don't mind, I am going to go get dressed. Meanwhile, if you could make some tea, that would be fantastic. Then I'll come back and we'll talk. How does that sound?"

Niall nodded, but frankly, he was not sure he would be able to move from the sofa for the next ten minutes. There was a lot to take in. He got up a lot sooner than he had initially thought, though, because Liam was not even out of the room that all the windows of the apartment burst from the outside.

"What's going on?", Niall yelled as he shoot out from the couch to put as much distance as he could between the broken shards of glass and him.

"Already?", Liam shouted.

The next second, the blonde found his Guardian towering over and around him in a protective stance, the tiny glass missiles laying on the floor, leaving a perfectly circle-shaped perimeter of shard-free carpet around them.

"At the risk of repeati..."

"Not now, Niall.", the warrior interrupted, but Niall caught a repressed chuckle. "If you want to understand what's going on, look at the shadows on the wall. Follow their movement. And do everything I say. Are we clear?"

"Y-yes". The youngest wished for a moment that Liam had had the time to put on a shirt he could have now fisted his hand in. His fingers clenched along his sides, around empty air.

On the wall facing the window frames, Niall located the approximate position of their shadows. Instead of the two shape of their hunched bodies, he distinguished a six feet two high, three feet four large cylinder as precisely designed as the glass drew a round around their feet. Half-tongues, half-branches, several shadows sprouted from their cylindric protection and waved, as if assessing their surroundings.Two or three of them were also circling on the carpet. Liam's own gaze was focused alternatively on the ceiling and the corners of the living-room, where more spears - admittedly there probably was no better word for these -, this time menacingly angled their way, agglutinated. For a moment more, nothing moved.

"Why aren't they moving?", the mage finally dared to ask.

"They are disgruntled. Trying to figure out where the lights come from, so they'll know where the shadows will be projected and where to attack from a dead-angle. But they cannot. They have not yet envisioned that the light source is you."

"So that's good, right?"

"Yes and no. It is good that they cannot do it. It is not good that they thought of doing it at all in the first all: they sent experienced soldiers", Liam grumbled out.

"Who?"

"I don't know, Niall. I don't know how many either. That's for later to reflect on.", the Shadow supplied, then took some time to think. He soon completed: "Now, I'm not sure how much time I'll be able to keep their Eyes out. And once they've got one in, we're done for. But as long as they cannot anticipate the light source movements, we have an advantage. We need to keep moving, do you understand?"

"Not a bloody thing, Liam!"

"Grab my waist. We're crossing the hallway to my flat. When I move, you move. Got it?"

Of course, the first plan the magical bodyguard "suggested" was for the boy to sneak his arms around his naked waist. Seriously?

"Yes, Niall. Seriously. My sole purpose in life is to protect you, remember?"

Oops. How much of his thought did the mage actually share out loud? He blamed it all on the remaining traces of alcohol in his bloodstream. Rolling his eyes at his Guardian's jab for good measure, he secured his arms around his flat stomach.

"Good", the warrior rumbled. "Ready?"

Niall took a large breathe in. "No. Let's do this."

They jumped into the fight. Shadows descended over them. And the whole room set down into chaos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come say hi on Tumblr (shatteeran.tumblr.com)!


	8. Liam, in the zone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait... Action scenes with shadows are harder to map down than I thought they would. How did I do?
> 
> Also, it's a very long scene (it's been going on for 3 chapters for now). One more chapter and we'll move into another setting, I promise.
> 
> Well, that's it for now, folks! Hope you have a good time reading still.

Falling back into the swift moves of his limbs to avoid his attackers' spears, blending the choreography of his body with the asynchronous dances of his shadows licking the floor, walls and ceiling, analyzing every stillness and mobilities, patterns and exceptions to determinate an ever-changing course was liberating. Liam had trained for the most part of his life to excel in these very moments where matters of life and death were settled. The strike proved he had not wasted his life away; true, he had never had much of a choice in it in the first place, but since he had now a chance to exerce his talents for a cause he had never been really able to give up, he was going to take it. Full swing. In a way, in spite of the sweat pooling on his temples and in the crease between his eyebrow, in spite of his protege's fast and warm breath on his nape, and yes, in spite of a sweaty body barely separated from his back by a thin layer of fabric, this was easy. Easier than following Niall in silence, stranded from him yet attached to each of his steps. This actually was his sole purpose in life.

He ducked, the blonde crouched around his shoulders, as he let a rather pointy-looking spear pass at an inch of his shadow's head on the wall. Then pivoted on his feet to face the windows. He had faith that, with the source light behind him, almost crushed against the wall, shadows would not be precise nor powerful enough, to break through his own secure perimeter. The enemies' claws regrouped at the edge of the windows, a jaw of darkness crafted by the street lamp posts, shivering in the anticipation of a feast.

As trainings go, his, obviously strengthening his body for combat, and sharpening his mind for the Art, had not forgone his soul: initially wanting some time to himself in his flat to give both of them space to digest the heavy revelations and to ponder his next moves, he had quickly reassessed his plan when the first window had blown apart. He had reckoned all matters of miscommunications and trust had to be reexamined and discussed at a later date, and, faithful to what he had learnt, he had bottled everything down to produce a quick analysis of the situation.

The grey-like teeth converged on their silhouettes, increasingly losing density as they approached their targets. By the time they connected, they were merely translucent. The assault broke against the Guardian's shield. Readjusting Niall's grip around him, he used the respite to sidestep on his left towards the entry. Behind him, Niall was panting and Liam suppressed a shudder. They had gotten incredibly close in lots of way in the past six hours; after the past six years spent wishing some part of their messed-up relationship would budge. And sure, there had been a daring kiss and drunken cuddles and now this... carrying-fighting of some sort. But, mostly, the brunet had for the second time learnt to interact with his protege, to push his buttons and test his reactions... He craved it. Thresholds constituted a danger of their own: narrowed by nature, thin-walled by habit, they were the epitome of the ideal trap setting. The best tactic to avoid getting caught was also the simplest one: push through, hard, fast, and as far away from any wall as possible. 

"Hey, Nialler! Don't hate me for this, okay?"  
"Nialler?", the blonde lad whispered back, indignation and embarrassment tainting his tone.

Liam pivoted on his right foot, supporting most of his weight on it. He guided his mage's body with his hands and slid him against his torso, secured him in his am's holds, leaned back on his left leg. And he jumped. Launched head first towards the entryway, he used one of his spears to support his momentum and from the tip of his right foot, he imprinted a rotation to their opening. They crossed the doorframe right in its middle, rolling into the air. The Shadow had bet most of this trick on their movement: with the light source turning around at this speed, he had hoped to confuse their attackers long enough for them to land and resume their race towards his flat. Unfortunately, it also meant Liam was unable to draw a safe landing in the shadows of a wall. Floor. Wall. Ceiling. Wall. He managed the best he could, angling their fall to hit the ground on his back, thus providing a softer cushion for his protege.

"Why would I possibly hate you for this, Liam?", Niall let out, still out of breath.  
"What?", Liam asked, even as his spears propelled the both of them upright and as he instantly grabbed his companion of infortune by his shoulders and knees, intent on running towards the broken door.  
"I mean, I did snog you, so. I guess it would make sense that you would try to take me to bed."

Liam almost dropped him. Now was the time the kid chose to remember their kiss? And to call it snogging? Liam had no experience in the matter, but it seemed to be overplaying it by eons. Instead he pulled the blonde tighter against him. In one jump, he had reached the entrance of the flat. He brutally threw himself backwards to avoid ginormous shadow claws, not unlike those of certain birds of prey, descending from the ceiling. He groaned as he braced himself for impact and tearing pain, but neither came. The mage's shining must have been going stronger because the bird's legs dissolved centimeters before they scratch his eyes out.   
The warrior expected his charge to have closed his eyes, but his look met bright blue orbs staring up at him, a mix of awe, frustration and defiance glinting in their pupils. 

"I am not", he said petulantly.  
"Good to know", Niall snarked right back.

And Liam was so done with this. His mission was to protect Niall; he hadn't sworn to anyone that he would be nice doing it. He hauled him on his shoulders and snickered when he heard the protests from behind his back. Then he faced the remnant of the door again and...

"Fudge!"

Niall's mocking comeback went unheard, as well as his demanding to know what was happening, concern now evident in his voice since Liam was obviously not bantering with him anymore. At the doorstep, the two monsters towered over them. Liam shuddered as he recognized the typical blur around their shapes, their very existence rendered impossible as a shadow could not exist without a makeshift screen to be project on. As such, their capabilities knew no limit: they interacted with both shadows and physical objects, hindering effectively the possible anticipation of their opponents. Why pull out the big guns for Niall? Who could possibly be so interested in catching the boy? And who could invoke Shadow monsters without even an Eye in the room? Even he had never acquired the technique.

The Guardian had learnt better than to try and fight them head on. Planting his brown eyes in the hollowed out holes of the attackers, he focused on pinning them with his stare… And threw his protege up in the air. To his credit, the blonde boy barely uttered a sound as his Shadow maneuvered to prevent his fall.

“Now listen to me, Niall. Go inside my flat and stay away from the door and windows!”  
“Got it.”  
The warrior also could plan and time an assault on multiple angles. Liam James Payne would show them his own mastership of the Art.  
“NOW!”

Liam propelled the mage upwards once more through the entry and hallway, far above the monsters’ neckless heads. A second later, he set a his foot on the left piece of the broken door, pushed hard as his other leg reached higher on its right morsel, and then gave a full force impulsion to undertake a summersault above them.  
The trick would not save them, he realized, as he took in Niall’s and his trajectories in the air. Momentarily abandoning the lad to the force of gravity, he redirected his power towards the floor, casting a pit right underneath the Shadow beasts. They roared as they sunk knee-high to the ground. Like always with creatures of their kind, their nature distorted and muffled the sound. Already the trap was receding, absorbed by the menacing silhouettes who soon regain their whole heights.  
Liam had envisioned to design a toboggan, but Niall landed on his bum on doormat. The kid groaned but got up, shaking his head as he entered the haven the protector had promised. Liam's feeling of accomplishment was cut short as the cold caress of clawed Shadow fingers ensnared his ankle.

He hit the ceramic tiling on his stomach and lungs, watched Niall’s wide blue eyes grew bluer and wider as he waited for his breathing to come back under his control so he could speak. He wouldn’t get free. And to think they had just started to talk once again… Such a bittersweet compensation. Meanwhile, the attack had ceased. The mage was out of their reach, for now. Whoever commissioned this attempted rapt would soon reveal themselves, torture Liam, eventually kill him. It was all out of Liam’s hands now.

“Nialler”, he let out because he could. Nothing mattered much now anyways; and the blonde man was the closest person he had grown up alongside with. “Stay hidden. In a couple of days, Haz will figure out that… They’ll send another…”

He stopped when he took in Niall’s expression. Steely, determined gaze upon a clenched jaw frozen in an indescribable smirk. Knuckles tensing along his ribs, trembling with adrenaline. The boy was obviously about to commit some stupid act of bravery.

“Niall?”  
“Yes, Liam?”  
“Stay where you are.”  
“Do you mean, here or… Oops.”, Niall commented with a cheeky grin.  
“Niall. Go back inside. I command you to…”

The Irish man simply ignored him. He marched towards the beasts, his glow pulsing threateningly as he approached. One of them extended his large arm to grab him. Liam stared powerless as the black shimmering hand closed around his protege’s neck. But Niall kept on walking, unarmed, leaving behind him the fingers grasping at nothing.

“I remembered something”, he explained. “You can’t catch light with darkness.”

Liam exhaled, reckoning it as a half-truth. He wondered if Niall was aware of his own bluff. Sure, the mage’s could not be hurt wherever his skin produced light, but as it was, his clothes blocked enough of the shine, produced enough shadows, for him to remain vulnerable.

“Now”, Niall continued. “Let go.”, he added, his voice growing more assured at each word. “Of.”

The Guardian blinked as Niall’s glow turned brighter every time he exhaled.

“LIAM!”

At the mention of his name, the light the boy emitted engulfed both of them. Warmth. Gentleness. A caressing sun. The grip on his ankle weakened; Liam broke free.  
He was up in no time and without a glance back, he grabbed the mage by the shoulder and dragged him back towards the safety of his apartment.  
The door slammed close behind them, plunging them into the dark. The blonde’s skin had returned to its normal complexion.

“Thanks for letting me in”, Niall wheezed. “You have a lovely home.”  
“It’s not much”, Liam replied in the same tone. “But it’s monster-free.”

They shared a nervous laugh, but it died as quickly as it had started.

“Now what?”, the mage wondered aloud, taking in his surroundings.

The Shadow had no plan past this point.   
Now what?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And yeah, tumblr (shatteeran.tumblr.com).  
> Drop by and let me know if you already bought Niall's solo album! :D


	9. Niall, dealing with the Shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Is this our first fight?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally we get to the end of what I hope will be the longest scene of this story. Over 4 chapters of uninterrupted awkwardness.
> 
> Next we'll finally give them some time to regroup.
> 
> I would like to thank everyone who has been reading this story, whether you enjoyed or not, kudo'ed or not, commented or not: it's great to share crazy ideas with crazy people (I mean it as a compliment).  
> Special thanks for everyone who supported me this long!
> 
> Yes, I said it would published yesterday... Work...  
> You may not know this but you got an extra 600 words on this chapter for your trouble! Hope it makes up for the wait somehow... I'll shut up now...

Niall walked inside Liam's apartment, taking in all the similarities and differences with his own. He used the reprieve to catch his breath, the enormity of what he had just done battering at his nervous system, creating a pool of cold sweat at the bottom of his back.

"How come they can't get in here?", he asked as his fingers brushed the books neatly aligned and sorted in the shelves. The glow emanating from him, now back to a soft, dying intensity, lightened up the titles at his passage.

"I proofed the place when I first moved in.", Liam said simply. Niall had yet to properly look at him. He was not ready to face ... everything.

"Why didn't you proof mine?"

"Because that would require extensive time drawing intricate patterns on your walls, floors, ceilings.", Liam explained, toneless again, weary almost as if he expected the Irish man to suddenly start yelling and running away. He nonetheless added after an hesitation: "As you can see, casting and manipulating Shadows require quite a bit of moving around. It takes a lot of time and it is impossible to be discreet about it."

The origin of the voice moved and the mage deduced from its new position that the warrior had sat down. Even now, Niall could tell Liam had not slouched in the chair. Tension was evident in the way he spoke, in the continuous stream of soft thuds he made as he moved swiftly and scanned their surroundings. The mage kneeled on the floor in from of him. And dammit! Liam was still wearing nothing but his black boxers. Niall coughed; the brunet pretended not to notice.

"Couldn't you have done it in the middle of the day, while I was at uni?", the blonde asked.

Instead of providing an answer, the Shadow got up and stretched, albeit self-consciously and gestured at his state of undress, then disappeared in the room to finally get dressed as well, giving Niall some time by himself to process the overload of information that had just been dumped on him. Thoughts and connections came to him in a jumbled manner. Shivers ran on his arms and back. His parents had lied to him most of his life. Liam could express more than just his passive judgmental poker face. He would never get his deposit back. He'd randomly walked up to Liam and kissed him, without any idea whether he would be okay with it; he had not even apologized. His life was threatened. Liam had been following him all this time. And oh, of course, fucking magic existed. Look at his skin lighting up like a fucking Christmas tr... Wait!

His protector came back in the room as the last realization broke through, clad with his usual attire: fitted-white shirt and black pants. Something about the way he carried himself, though, about the way his clothes were still rumpled from being worn all day before they had been discarded on a chair in his bedroom a few hours ago, about the way the sweat, first from sleep, then from effort, had matted his hair against his temple, emitted a different vibe. Unguarded. Niall’s heart surged with empathy, an urge to reciprocate the care he had unknowingly been dispensed.

“You’ve never spent a day away from me all these years, haven’t you?” Niall intuited, his voice barely above a whisper.

Liam nodded towards a room the blonde guessed would be the kitchen, if the floor plans in their two apartments were symmetrical as he expected. He quickly stood up and followed him.

“Not if I could help it.” the Shadow supplied in a tone far too neutral to be devoid of hidden thoughts. Niall was once more struck of the quantity of emotions his neighbor was actually capable of displaying when not magically impaired. He also started to regret his behavior in Louis’ car this morning. Struggling with words of apology he could not form, he sat at the red plastic table and watched as Liam puttered around between his cupboards and his hot plates. If only he had known about magic, about the warrior’s sworn secret mission to protect him with his life.

“I’m sorry I k-kissed you” he said instead.

Liam froze, his back turned. Niall backtracked.

“I m-mean. It’s not th-that I d-didn’t… th-that it w-wasn’t… If I had t-to do it a-again… I meant I shouldn’t have d-done that. It was rude and borderline mean. And I… And I’m s-sorry.”

The Shadow went to sit in front of him, then, tentatively brushing the other’s fingers.

“Niall, please believe me when I say this: you have nothing to apologize for.”

Niall couldn’t retain a relieved smile. A huge yawn followed.

“Does it hurt”, he asked next, “when I’m not near you?”

“A bit”, Liam acquiesced. “Feels like an elastic string pulling me back to your side. As long as you’re alive, my feet always know where you are.”

“Awesome. My bodyguard thinks with his feet. I feel so safe.”

“Oh, shut it, firefly!”

They grinned at each other companionably.

“How do you manage when you cannot be around?”

“Mostly, I try to time it so you’re safely in class at uni. And I send an Eye to watch over you, so I’m instantly notified if something goes wrong.”

“An Eye?” Niall wondered aloud.

“I sort of can separate my shadow from me. Send it on its way. What it sees and hears, it reports back.”

“Like Peter Pan?” the blonde teased.

“Yes, Tinkerbell, my glowing little fairy, I’m like Peter Pan.” Liam threw back at him, smug smirk emphasizing his lips.

Niall tore his eyes away as he ducked his head to hide his highing blush. The ambient conviviality disturbed the Irish man constantly. In many ways, he only now discovered an array of facets of his protector that he had never dwindled on; yet, he also realized, he had unconsciously learnt to decipher him without words, let alone sentences, being pronounced between them. The global picture struck him as both extremely foreign and pleasantly familiar, as if he suddenly judged an old friend in a new, well, light. The Shadow set two tea cups and a smoking tea pot on the table and rejoined his seat. The blonde let his tired eyes dance with the evaporating fumes above the hot liquid.

“How long?” he finally dared to question.

Chocolate brown eyes pinned him to his red plastic chair.

“Couple of minutes, I’d say. Unless you like your tongue burned.” the other deadpanned to relieve the tension. Reckoning it for the half-success it earned him, he answered seriously. “Until you can defend yourself. Or until it becomes clear that you will not be hunted for your power.”

Niall opened his mouth to ask a new question, but Liam beat him to it.

“Usually we know a few months after you’ve reached your 13th year.”

“Why?”

“Power seeds envy. Envy grows conflicts. Conflicts harvest blood.” Liam stated as if the truth ingrained in his brain during his training justified everything. “Feuds between families of mages and well-informed and powerful sponsors have existed for generations. Loyalties shift. Heroes betray. The Coven of Shadows has been created centuries ago in response to the increased violent involvement of the mage younglings. Many innocents fell, susceptible to suggestion and manipulation. A magical neutral ground of sorts, if you will.”

“But the attack…”

“The Accords between the mages never stipulated that the children would no longer be targeted. It just provided some common ground to protect them whilst the leaders would keep on coming at them with all their might. You’re at war, Niall. Even if you cannot tell your friend from your enemy.”

Anguish seized Niall’s mind for a few seconds at the seriousness of the other boy. He was suddenly brought back to his first meeting with Liam: the gravity of his stares, the formality of his words and his childish bravado which had confused the Horan kid back then all made sense now.

“You are friend, though.” he blurted out, phrasing it more like a question than he would have wished.

“I am your Shadow.” Liam replied, simply, leaving his protege in the dark.

They drank the night away with green tea, both finding themselves unwilling to end it. Niall was finally getting answers he had been waiting for since the day they had met, and it was clear Liam was more than happy to talk. They discussed Shadows and Mages, their differences and similitudes. Liam offered as much information as he could share about his Coven, rummaging through his memories to bring up historical events and key personalities of their world. Niall’s frustration simmered when the brunet man failed to clarify the extent of Niall’s magic. Or the delay in its appearance. Or the identity of tonight attackers. Or their motive to attempt kidnapping of a human firefly. Or the double homicide, which the son was not sure of, of his parents. The more he learnt about the ins and outs of magic, the more he expected to find purposes and consequences which would enlighten the facts about his life he had until now chalked up to randomness of life and bad luck. More often than not, his Shadow’s explanations fell short of bringing him the desired closure. Nonetheless, their exchange remained amicable, at least, and they both realized that the night had fostered between them a certain amount of understanding and trust, which had been previously missing.

The dialog started to go awry as the first rays of sun hit the tiled floor and floated against the white glass of their cold empty cups.

“In about twenty minutes, we will go see Harry. He works in one of our offices. He’ll have access to documentation and other Shadows. I am sure he will be able to answer some of your questions. I am not letting you down”, Liam yawned, “Niall.”

“And the two Shadow monsters won’t chase after us…? Wait! What time is it?”

“Around twenty past seven. And no. A Shadow is down at dawn…”

Niall gaped.

“Means there are no Shadows in natural light in the early morning.” Liam added.

“I understand what it meant, Peter Pan. It’s just about the lamest thing I’ve ever heard. What are you, ten years old?” Niall retorted, half-taunting, half-annoyed by the gamification of life and death matters. His life and death.

“Shadow training starts at three”, Liam confirmed, ruffled.

Some of the blonde’s aggravation melted, but the sleepless night was catching up with him and was starting to get the better of him.

“Anyways, I’m not going to meet with this Harry Styles. I have class and tomorrow, well today, we’re being paired up for this semester project.”

Now Liam’s mouth slacked open in disbelief.

“You’re not seriously considering…” he started before the mage interrupted him.

“What?”

“Weren’t you paying attention? The war? The bloody infanticides? Unnecessary violence?” Liam stuttered.

“Are you for real? Do you think I can go one day without thinking about useless deaths?” Niall said, syllables dripping with anger.

“Mastering mages matter above all matters.”

“Another one?” Niall shouted.

“I am doing all of this for your protection. This is for the best.” the Shadow justified, at a loss of words, Niall’s stubbornness seemed to be giving him a headache, if his frown was anything to go by.

“Maybe to you!” countered the blonde as he stood up and leaned above the table.

Peace and quiet had truly abandoned them. The warrior scoffed and crossed his arms. They were tired, weary and though they’d never admit it to one another, scared. They were also too far gone to care and take the necessary time to stand down.

“Not to you, Tinkerbell?”

“Maybe not”, Niall snapped. “Maybe not. Have you considered it, Liam? What do I have in my life? I have only one friend in Louis and uni. That’s it! It’s all I can say for myself! And you might be happy living off of the Coven’s bloody allowance and your self-righteous self-sacrificing whiny act, but I have nothing. No coven, no family, no money and no purpose! I’ll have to work to get by. To get a job. Ever think about that, Pan? That all your martyrs as my protector are futile? That I just might not be worth it? Did you ever think about it?”

The Shadow stood still, almost detached of his surroundings: he could have been a piece of furniture, for how well he had blended in, waiting for the Irish’s storm to calm down.

“So I’m not blowing off college for anything. And certainly NOT for something which did not even exist in my life until yesterday. I’ll get ready for school. You go meet Harry on your own.” Niall concluded as he faced away from his protector.

He stopped as he heard mumbles cowardly articulated from behind him.

“For the record, I never thought about it. But I did think it would be easier to protect you once you would know the truth.”

Niall turned around in fury.

“Yeah?” he spat. “Well, I think I liked it better when you could not mouth off!”

Liam looked like he’d just been slapped. Niall pointedly left the kitchen and his moronic expression behind. The biology and sociology student was still seething in guilt when, twenty minutes later, he entered the café Louis and he usually met in in the morning. The warm bitter smell of caffeine somewhat comforted him, but the buzzing of the espresso machines, the clicks of the cups on the counters and the loud chatter filled the room and soon chased the remaining calm from the corners of his skull. He ordered a black Americano without smiling, paid with tipping, and plopped down next to Zayn on the yellowish bench seat without saluting his friends. Every other morning, he enjoyed the cozy decor of their meetup spot. Today, the packed up room and long secluded benches unnerved his light claustrophobia.

“Well, well, well, Nialler! You look positively terrible. Spill! Did you make me proud?”, Louis immediately started.

He was plenty used of Niall not being a riser. Said boy harrumphed over his mug; he’d forgotten to ask his beverage to-go.

“Your shirt is backwards”, Zayn added, discreetly.

The dreaded red blush made an early appearance on his cheeks: he had yelled at Liam, escaped monsters with him, obtained explanations from him, apologized for kissing him, drunk his tea, talked for hours about him and finally had a raw with him. Liam. While wearing his shirt backwards. How had the other boy kept his mouth shut this whole time? Why did he not take the opportunity of a good laugh? In hindsight, Niall admitted the general mood of the night before did not allow for many jokes. The mortification still contributed to worsen the start of his day. Or the end of the day before, if he wanted to be painfully accurate.

“NIALL!”

“What?”

“Did you guys do it?”, Louis prodded, blatantly ignoring the harsh tone. “Did you fuck him?”

“Shh”, Zayn interrupted with an apologetic look towards the table on their left. From the looks of it, Zayn’s chiseled face and cajoling smile soothed the mother’s rightful indignation. Her daughter, who was slumping on her chair diagonally to Niall, giggled.

“Did you fuck him?”, repeated with a hushed theatrical whisper the joyful Doncaster lad, who had missed the entirety of the silent exchange.

“We talked.”, Niall eventually offered, before promptly completing: “We just talked.”

In front of him, the Tommo shook his hand exaggeratedly to cool his burned fingers. In his haste to put his cup down in order to question his friend, he had spilled half of his hot tea everywhere. Zayn swiped the table with a now exasperated expression.

“And here I thought you had developed some game over the night, Neil. You just keep on breaking my heart.”

The blonde head fell on the table, expressing his tiredness; the unexpected bang made the neighboring mother jump on the bench with a high-pitched shout. She reproachfully glared at them once more. Zayn looked so done with the situation he did not even acknowledge her this time. But a cheerful Louis couldn’t be stopped.

“Whereas MY night…”

“And here we go again!”

“What’s that, Zayn?”

“Do you know how many times I’ve heard the epic retelling of your incredible night, Louis? Seven. Seven times. This morning. And we got up less than an hour ago.”

“But Zayn”, Louis whined, eyes wide open in fake wonder, “my boy Niall here doesn’t know. Niall needs to know.”

“Well, you’ll have to tell him on the way to uni. We’re going to be late.”

Niall wordlessly got up and dumped the equivalent of seven spoons of sugar in a Styrofoam cup, in which he poured the remainder of his mug’s content. Louis and Zayn waited for him at the entrance of the coffee shop. He thanked his friends with a tiny corner smile and a nod. For waiting for him. For respecting his silence and grumpiness. For acting as if everything was normal, as if the world had not been turned upside down over the course of the night.

“It was, say, not five minutes after you two love birds had left, this handsome, really really sexy man comes up to me and asks…”

They walked at a slow pace, most of the time all on the same line. Tommo rambled about his adventures and the mage breathed in the sense of belonging. He had a hunch it would be one of the last times he would be able to relate to their lives and he milked it for all it was worth. Of course, he played a couple of times with the idea of telling his friends the truth on his way to class. But his thoughts were still jumbled and the boy knew better than to overshare when not in his right mind. Putting not one, but two – he discovered, surprised to already care about Zayn this much – of the most precious people he had met into harm’s way would not be a decision he would make lightly, especially when, he reckoned, he was not in possession of his wits. An even more secretive part of his heart wanted to selfishly guard some memories of the night – the Liam-related ones – for himself. He was not ready to give them away yet; and he still had a hard time separating his recent discoveries. For the first time, he openly missed Liam’s ever-constant presence around him.

_I wish you were here._

He blinked furiously when he caught a glimpse of a fast movement on the sidewalk. He maintained his allure but focused on tracking with his now completely awoken eyes the floating of shadows, now clearly distinguishable on the asphalt. The sun had followed its course while they sat at the cafe. A mix of hope and dread twisted in his guts. As if sensing his growing panic, a shadow slowly detached itself from the drawn tree it had been hiding in on the ground. For a moment, it took Liam’s shape and waved at the boy. Then it vanished.

Niall played “Spot ‘his’ Shadow” all day long with a ghost of a smile on his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr (shatteeran.tumblr.com)!  
> If someone on Tumblr has some proof that Liam and Cheryl broke up, I need to see it.


End file.
